ADMINISTRATIVE

TO:

Division Superintendents

FROM:

Paul D. Stapleton
Superintendent of Public Instruction

SUBJECT:

1998-99 Crime, Violence, and Substance Abuse Data Collection

Please disregard Supts. Memo. #51 and replace with this memo.
Attached are forms, instructions, and definitions for reporting incidents of crime,
violence, and substance abuse for the 1998-99 school year. As you know, this is a
requirement of 22.1-280.1 of the Code of Virginia.
You may recall that the reporting requirements of HJR 242, Study on Alternative
Education, included data to meet some of the requirements of 22.1-280.1. Certain
categories, however, required for the crime and violence report were not collected
as a result of HJR 242, and therefore it is necessary to complete the usual process
for this annual report. The Department of Education is currently working to develop
a system of data collection that will collapse several reporting requirements into a
single format in an effort to create a more efficient process for local school divisions.
We call your attention to SB 1244 (attached). This bill amends 22.1-280.1 and
authorizes local school boards to prescribe sanctions for principals who may knowingly
fail to comply with this section and therefore report incorrect data.
In addition, the State Board of Education has addressed concerns that have been raised
about possible inconsistencies in the data reporting process. It is imperative that
principals and superintendents review both the instructions and the definitions
provided in this packet of information and report data accordingly. Note, for example,
that Tables I, II, and III are not derived from only your suspension and expulsion data,
but rather should include all incidents that occur during the school year. In a
recent session, the Board adopted a requirement that the division superintendent sign a
certification statement that the data provided in this report is, in fact, consistent
with the definitions provided by the Department of Education (see the attached list
of definitions). No changes have been made to the definitions, but this additional
certification requirement will be included in the follow up verification report.
Please note the following aspects of this year's reporting system:
*The data to be reported on the 2000 School Report Card will be extrapolated
from the data submitted on this crime and violence report. For the 2000
School Year Performance Report Card, the categories under "Safety Information"
will include changes from the current categories. Physical Violence will
include two subcategories:
*Serious Incidents will include fighting that results in serious injuries;
homicides; physical assaults; and rape, against both students and staff.
*Fighting will be a new subcategory and will include fighting that results in
minor and/or no injuries.
*The Possession Violations category (collected here in Table III) will remain
the same, with the exception that non-firearm will be changed to other weapons.
We are also asking for data in two additional categories, IF AVAILABLE. These are
1) Number of Bomb Threats, and 2) Incidents of Bullying. You will recall that the
data on bullying was requested as part of last year's report as well.
The due date for submission of this data is September 30. This is earlier than the
submission data in previous years so as to facilitate data verification for
reporting purposes. Please collect forms from each school in your division and send
all completed forms in one packet to . . .
Marsha O. Hubbard
VA Department of Education
P.O. Box 2120
Richmond, VA 23218
Finally, we recommend that you carefully review your current reporting policies to
ensure that they are, in fact, consistent with the requirements as outlined in this
memo. If you have any questions, please contact Marsha Hubbard at (804) 225-2928.
Thank you for your attention to this important requirement.
PDS/moh
Attachment(s): A hard copy of this memo and its attach-
ment will be sent to the superintendent's
office.